4

LEILA

I can’t sleep. My heart races at the thought of the sins I just committed, and my skin still sizzles with his touch. I took a long shower, but he still holds me captive. No amount of soap will wash him away.

A deep ache remains deep inside me, although he made me ruin my bedsheets from all the wetness that seeped out of me. I find myself craving more; his seed. And the desperation only makes me blush.

Why didn’t he finish inside me? It wouldn’t impregnate me; this is just a game. Maybe it’s too personal for him, and I’m too crazy for wanting it.

Anxiety fills me at the thought of not seeing him again; and this is troublesome, because I don’t know the man or if we will cross paths again. This virtual game is supposed to be one without strings attached, and I’m failing it.

With a frustrated sigh, I toss and turn in bed. I text my sister to see what she’s up to, but then she asks me what I did all day, and I panic.

Admit I had cyber sex with a stranger that made me soak the bed and lose my mind? Never.

I don’t reply. Instead, I load my computer and look at my job description again. I’ll be starting soon at Silver Stone, Inc. A company dedicated to making machinery and computer parts. I think they have projects in artificial intelligence, but I doubt they’ve dabbled in projects like The Virtual Machine.

Before I purchased it, I had doubts of running into people I know from the past, or my cowers I’ve yet to meet! But the promise of memory deletion convinced me. Now that my helmet it glitched, I’m not so sure if I’m the only only retaining their memories.

But that won’t stop me from logging in again. I’m ashamed to admit my burning desire to see him again. I don’t see him, and I fall asleep with a sigh on my lips, and my fists clenched in frustration.

The next morning, I repeat my cycle of going on a walk and stopping by the coffee shop. This night, I don’t log into the machine, because I know it’s best if I forget him. That addicting man that holds my dreams captive.

I wonder who he is. What he does for work and hobbies, and if his eyes are the same dreamy color as they are in the virtual machine. But then I quickly push those thoughts away.

My endurance only lasts two nights, because by the third, I log back in. Right back to the lobby where I met him. I walk around, scanning faces and recognizing some of them. I take time to change out of my extraordinary dress, opting for jeans and a blouse.

My character is still beautiful, this lobby is still electric with chatter, and this virtual machine offers endless locations to enjoy. But it’s not the same, because he’s not here.

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I log out, feeling dejected, and see that I got a new email. It’s from work, asking that I stop by the office to sign a few more papers before starting.

I instantly reply that I’ll be there, and take a shower before heading out. One short bus ride later, I’m standing before the looming building. The arches and silver tones remind me of the Helmet.

I walk in, a shudder running down my back when I touch the cold handle of the door. The world transforms instantly, like a new world has loaded.

Everything in here is pristine, even the neat employees walking around.

I wear black jeans and a black long-sleeve t-shirt. My hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, and my purse is black and simple. I brought copies of my documents just in case. I’m not so sure why I’m nervous. I already passed all the interviews and background check.

Maybe it’s because of my hobby. That I fear these professionals around me can sense I spend my free time fucking hot virtual characters that aren’t real, and who having a meaningful relationship with would be impossible.

I get past reception and enter the elevator. I watch the buttons light as the elevator rises, the amount  feeling endless. When I make it to the nineteenth floor, I turn to the office I was directed to and meet a nice older woman that has me sign paper after paper.

The experience is painless, but I can’t control my anxiety. My hand picks at the seam of my jeans under the desk. I regret wearing these, feeling like I’m standing out among the sleek and dark slacks everyone wears around here.

After I’m done signing, I walk out of there with the manager leading me down the hall. I look at the elevator like it’s my salvation, but then it dings, and the doors slide open.

I halt my steps as a man steps out. He’s dressed in a white button down rolled to his elbows, and black slacks. Simple colors that do him no favor in blending in, because the rest of him is a sight to behold. His hair is cropped short and messy, like he ran his hands through it too many times. Even from this distance, I can tell he’s so tall he towers over me. But it’s his eyes… that magical, familiar blue, that has my knees shaking.

I stare like a deer in the headlights as he walks past me, a suited man following behind him. He gives me a side-glance as he walks by, but otherwise ignores me.

Those fucking eyes are so familiar. He doesn’t look like Henry from the Machine. His facial features are different and his stature is much more massive.

But those eyes… the ones I memorized as he rocked my body… are so familiar.

I shake my head. No. That can’t be him. This is clearly a sign that I’m losing my mind.

In the elevator, I ask the manager in a low voice, “Who was that? A bodyguard?”

She chuckles. “No. That was our CEO.”

I smile in relief. Yeah, there’s no way that’s Henry.